年轻人以超剂量 Benadryl 产生的谵妄体验逐渐形成趋势，典型剂量从12片起跳，在网络社区常有人炫耀每次25片以上。2020年“Benadryl challenge”在 TikTok 扩散后导致显著急诊上升：同年美国毒物中心记录4,618例相关用药事件，2023年增至5,960例；2020年5月一周内德州3名青少年过量（其中14岁服用14片），8月一名15岁青少年因癫痫死亡。FDA 于2020年9月警告 Benadryl 过量可致心律失常、癫痫、昏迷和死亡，但趋势仍持续，尤其被视为低价易得的“贫困药物”，如100粒胶囊仅约3美元。

使用者描述的症状几乎全为负面：心率显著升高、恶心、呼吸困难、口干与严重失忆；部分体验持续4至6小时，并伴随恐怖幻觉，如“Hat Man”、虫群或蜘蛛的视觉与触觉幻象。高剂量为中枢抗胆碱机制所致，导致记忆形成障碍与认知下降；部分使用者因此退出学业。尽管 Benadryl 非技术意义上的成瘾物，但其逃避功能易导致剂量与频率累增。欧洲与北美亦有青少年转向 datura，其产生的谵妄效应与 Benadryl 几乎无差，但因历史仪式用途而被赋予“精神性”吸引。

这一趋势与多重社文化因素相关：TikTok 的模因扩散、年轻世代精神健康危机、经济压力使传统逃避路径（酒精、大麻）相对更昂贵。对一些使用者而言，高剂量 Benadryl 成为廉价、可及、但极度危险的自我麻痹方式。经历多次复发后，有人戒断并报告恢复认知功能、重新投入学业与兴趣，强调滥用 Benadryl 是在极端困境下的选择。

Young people are increasingly engaging in high-dose Benadryl use, with typical recreational doses starting at 12 pills and online communities reporting up to 25 pills per episode. Following the 2020 TikTok “Benadryl challenge,” emergency incidents rose sharply: U.S. poison centers documented 4,618 Benadryl cases in 2020 and 5,960 in 2023. In May 2020, three Texas teens overdosed in one week (a 14-year-old took 14 pills), and in August a 15-year-old died from a seizure in Oklahoma. The FDA warned in September 2020 that overdoses can trigger arrhythmias, seizures, coma, and death, yet the trend persists, partly because Benadryl is cheap and accessible—around $3 for 100 capsules.

Users consistently report severe adverse effects: dramatically elevated heart rate, nausea, breathlessness, dry mouth, and profound amnesia; trips often last 4–6 hours and include terrifying hallucinations such as the “Hat Man,” insects, or spiders accompanied by tactile illusions. The mechanism—central anticholinergic toxicity—disrupts memory formation and cognition, with some users withdrawing from school due to decline. While not addictive in a technical sense, its use as an escape can drive escalating doses. Datura, widely available in Europe and North America, produces nearly identical deliriant effects but carries a different “spiritual” allure due to historical ritual use.

The phenomenon reflects intersecting cultural forces: TikTok amplification, widespread mental-health struggles, and economic instability that makes alcohol or cannabis comparatively expensive. For some, high-dose Benadryl becomes a cheap, accessible, but extremely dangerous means of self-numbing. After relapses, some users recover and regain cognitive stability, emphasizing that Benadryl abuse emerges from extreme distress.